A few short weeks ago, following a second round match against Jelena Ostapenko, American tennis star Taylor Townsend was deemed a hero for her classy response to Ostapenko confronting her after losing the match, declaring Townsend had "no class" and "no education."
Many believed Ostapenko's words were racially motivated.
Unfortunately, the tables have somewhat turned on the 29-year-old tennis star following some remarks she made in her Instagram stories regarding food she ate on a recent trip to China.
The videos Townsend shared in her Instagram stories swiftly began making the rounds on X (formerly Twitter):
In the first story, Townsend displayed food that was being served to her, buffet style, and could be heard saying "what the hell" off camera.
As the video panned to show more food, Townsend could be heard off camera declaring "this is crazy" while a text overlay read:
"This is the craziest thing I've ever seen..."
"...and people eating this."
Another story showed a picture of a menu written on a chalkboard, showing that "braised soft-shell turtle" and "dry pot bullfrog" were both being served.
Once again, Townsend shared her apprehensions about the cuisine in a text-overlay, saying:
"Imma have to talk to HR..."
"...because what the hell..."
"...turtle and bullfrog is WILD."
Even after heading back to her accommodations for the night, Townsend still wasn't quite done expressing her confusion about the food she was served.
She shared her thoughts in a video that featured an overlay that read, "YALL are my HR, so I'm venting to you guys":
"I'm honestly just so shocked at, like, what I saw in the dinner buffet."
"And as I go back on my Instagram story and I look, and I'm like 'these people are literally killing frogs?'"
"Bull frogs?"
"Aren't those poisonous?"
"Like aren't those the ones that be giving you warts and boils and stuff?"
"And turtles?"
"And the fact that like it’s all stewed up with chilis and peppers and onions."
"Oh, you really made this a dish."
"And then you got the sea cucumbers just staring there like… with the noodles."
"The only things that we eating."
Townsend then declared that she "gotta give this"—presumably referring to the food she had been served—"a solid two out of ten so far."
She then went on to share the last item she viewed during the evening, which was offal (chicken liver, gizzards and skin, and lungs of an undisclosed animal) all served on a skewer.
The stories were met with a less-than-happy response on X, with many finding Townsend's remarks xenophobic.
Some said that maybe Jelena Ostapenko wasn't so far off:
Following the backlash she received online, Townsend posted an apology video:
Speaking directly to the camera, Townsend apologized "from the bottom of my heart":
"...I am so privileged as a professional athlete to be able to travel all around the world and experience cultural differences, which is one of the things I love so much about what I do."
While Townsend didn't specifically mention China, or any of the food from the earlier video, she did say that she had "nothing but the most amazing experience and time here," and that "everyone has been so kind and so gracious."
She continued:
"The things that I said were not representative of that at all, and I just truly wanted to apologize."
Townsend ended the video declaring there was "no excuse" and that she "will be better," and that she was "truly grateful to her country to represent them."
Not everyone was particularly swayed by Townsend's apology, with some pointing out that she never explicitly mentioned China, or even exactly what she said that led to her apology.
People seemed unconvinced that her remarks weren't xenophobic as opposed to simply ill-advised:
Others, however, were satisfied with Townsend's apology, and some wondered if she needed to apologize at all, since her videos only expressed her taste in food:
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and what ultimately matters is how we express those opinions—a lesson it seems Townsend learned loud and clear.
But we probably shouldn't expect any more food reviews from her in the near future.
